In the current era of college athletics, player compensation and the transfer portal have become the name of the game.
What was once a more regimented landscape of athletics has turned essentially into a free-agent frenzy, with players moving around without having to sit out a year and schools, boosters and NIL collectives offering hefty financial incentives to get players to play for their respective institutions.
However, athletic programs at service academies are largely insulated. At service academies, a commitment to the country and serving in the United States military takes precedence over everything else, including athletics.
Athletes can transfer out of the academies, but Navy women’s basketball star guard Zanai Barnett-Gay, a Glenn Dale native and preseason Patriot League Player of the Year, decided to stay put ahead of her junior season.
“None of those schools I think that were reaching out or were interested in me would’ve given me enough to override what I would’ve gotten from Navy after I graduate,” Barnett-Gay said. “… For me, I think the path that Navy gave me after graduation was more than I could get playing at another school.”
The Riverdale Baptist School alum had an incredible sophomore season for the Midshipmen in 2024-25, earning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Patriot League honors. The 5-foot-8 guard averaged 19.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game, building off a freshman year in which she earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year and first-team all-conference honors.
“Did we expect that to happen? Yeah, I think we did,” Navy head coach Tim Taylor said. “I think she did. I think we all kind of know where she was in the pecking order. I know it sounds crazy, but in some ways, for us in our league, I thought it was a given.”
(Photo Credit: Phil Hoffmann/Navy Athletics)
That kind of success in Barnett-Gay’s first two years, however, got a lot of schools calling to see if she would dip her foot into the transfer portal and potentially leave Navy. Mids who plan to stick around sign a “2 for 7” contract after their sophomore year, binding them to the Academy for two more years and to the Navy or Marine Corps for five years after graduation.
Barnett-Gay talked with Taylor and weighed all of her options, from teams interested in landing her to staying in Annapolis.
“She and I did have conversations,” Taylor said. “Quite honestly, there were a lot of agents that were trying to get her to go into the portal. With agents, you get a lot of false information and I think those were the things that she came to me and said, ‘Coach, what do you think?’ I said, ‘You know what, let’s find out. Let’s find out what it’s worth.'”
It wasn’t just the post-graduate opportunities that intrigued Barnett-Gay about staying at Navy. The lifestyle and regimented schedule she had become accustomed to sold her on staying.
“First getting recruited by Navy, I never thought I would be in the military,” Barnett-Gay said. “So off the bat, it was really about basketball and then using that to make it more than just myself.”
Two years in, she’s really taken to what Navy is all about, and it begins with her day-to-day schedule.
A normal day for a member of the brigade features up to six periods of classes, much like a high school day, and various training periods. Morning formation starts at 7 a.m., meaning most students get up well before that. Barnett-Gay has hoops practice from roughly 4:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. before heading back to her dorm room for the night.
“We know every day that we’re booked and busy until the afternoon versus maybe having one to two classes a day,” Barnett-Gay said. “… I like the structure here. It’s like a continuation of high school, so for me, nothing has really changed schedule-wise. It’s almost exactly the same as it was in high school, outside of the added responsibilities of the Naval Academy.”
Even with all of those responsibilities, Barnett-Gay knows that for three hours or so a day, she gets to focus on basketball. That time is for her to get better on the court, and she has only gotten better during the course of her three years with the Mids. Not just that, but she has become a leader on this team, a role model for the underclassmen and someone who has enjoyed the spotlight when it shines on her.
“That’s been a conversation with her throughout her entire time here,” Taylor said. “Z leads by example and she likes to work quietly. Someone told me one time ‘move in silence,’ and I think that’s her at times. She just likes to work and that’s why she’s as good as she is.”
Through nine games as a junior, Barnett-Gay has continued to impress, averaging 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game heading into the Mids’ game at South Florida on Dec. 21.
Navy will continue to look to maximize that success as the season moves along. The Mids kick off Patriot League play at Boston University on Dec. 31.
“I think this is probably the most talented team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Barnett-Gay said, “so that, on top of our togetherness and chemistry, is going to help us go far.”
Photo Credit: Phil Hoffman/Navy Athletics
Issue 296: December 2025 / January 2026
Originally published Dec. 17, 2025